Gems of Wisdom for God's Broken Vessels on life issues, inspirational book reviews, and the occasional Montana feature. www.AngelaBreidenbach.com

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Over-achiever or Workaholic? Test yourself...

So what do you do if you're an Achiever and work is play to you? It's not really a problem unless the relationships around you suffer.

Would your tombstone read: Wow, what a good worker!

I pray mine doesn't read that way. I'd rather hear I accomplished more than the average person, but would always stop to love on my family, friends, and share the Good News!

Here's a test to check yourself.

Over-achiever or Workaholic?

1. Do you live off a list?

2. Does checking off the list give you satisfaction?

3. Do you set regular goals (short and long term)?

4. Do you spend time with your family after work?

5. Do you love learning?

6. If you were able to stop working, what would you do:

a. get a new job

b. tinker around the house

c. volunteer regularly

d. create a plan to reach goals you haven't met yet?

7. Is your mind always busy?

8. Are you always looking for ways to streamline to gain more time?

9. Do you have boundaries in place to help you disengage from work to go home?

10. Do you have play or rest days regularly (and I don't mean once or twice a year)?

If you answered yes to all the above, and any one of a-d on #6 (or all of the above), you are an over-achiever. Workaholics have a real problem with addiction to both work and the guilt of deserving rest. They can be quite single-minded. Sometimes these are admirable traits. But without an accountability partner, justifying the bad habits of ignoring time off can be detrimental to your health, career, and family.

God made us exactly how he wanted us. The important lesson we need to learn is NOT to avoid who we are, but to embrace our God-given DNA. Like anyone with a gift, it must be honed and trained. The verse from Proverbs to, train up a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not depart from it, isn't about spanking and constant discipline to create a good person in society. It's about teaching a child reverence and obedience to the Lord. Left to run amuck, an over-achiever turns into a workaholic. Workaholism isn't funny. It's hard. It's a relationship breaker. Workaholism is a sin because it's simply gluttony. Glutton does apply to food. But it also applies to anything in excess. The sin of too much. Over-achievers must balance the deep desire to achieve with the much more important sense of involvement in relationships.

**These tests are not scientific or medical replacements for counseling or medication. They are not to be used for diagnosis. They are to be used for discernment and to take to your doctor and ask for assistance should you need more balance in your life like me.